A "???" file typically indicates an unknown extension situation because the extension might be unsupported or the file may be incomplete, so turning on "File name extensions" exposes whether it truly ends with something like .pdf or .zip, and if not, it may simply have no extension; file size can hint at corruption versus real content, and viewing the first bytes in Notepad—"%PDF-", "PK", "MZ"—can identify common types, while folder context and careful "Open with" attempts using 7-Zip or VLC usually confirm the format, allowing safe renaming once you have enough clues.
When I said "???" isn’t an actual format, I meant it’s just what the OS shows when it cannot determine the file type because the extension is missing, since file identification normally comes from what follows the final dot; if the file was saved without an extension, renamed incorrectly, given a rare suffix with no associated program, or downloaded incompletely, the OS may mark it as unknown—even as "???"—but the file still has a real type you can find by checking its full name, size, signature bytes like %PDF- or PK, and origin so you know which app to use.
When I say "???" is a label, I mean it’s an on-screen indicator of uncertainty from the OS rather than a genuine extension, since the real extension after the last dot is what matters for classification, and labels like "PDF Document," "JPEG Image," or "???" are just display terms, so when the OS can’t determine the type because the extension is missing or the file is corrupted, it may show "???" even though the file still has a true format you can identify by examining its filename, file size, or
magic bytes.
When I say "???" is shown when the system can’t determine the type, I mean the OS depends on the extension to pick an app, so if that extension is absent, or the file header doesn’t match it, or corruption blocks detection, the OS falls back to an unknown-type label—often "???"—and some file managers do the same when they lack association info, but you can still discover the true format through visible extensions, file size, or known signatures like %PDF-, PK, or MZ.
Think of it like this: the file extension serves as the opening instruction for selecting the right app—PDF reader, image viewer, archive tool—and "???" just means that label is wrong, leaving the OS uncertain even though the file itself may be fine, and checking the extension, file size, and internal magic bytes usually clarifies what the file truly is If you liked this article and you would certainly such as to obtain additional info regarding
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